About Us

Curling Club

For those looking to play more competitive curling or to further their curling career, please visit the local Dunedin Curling Club for more information and possibilities. The Curling club holds weekly Hack and Crampit leagues throughout winter as well as organising bonspiels for surrounding clubs and the master’s games competition held every second year.

Social Curling

Leave a lasting impression or reward your team with a memorable curling experience. Our Social Curling Functions include exclusive room hire for 2.5 hours, BYO food and drink opportunities, and a coach to teach you the game and get you playing games.

Casual Curling

Just like public ice skating, we have weekly sessions available for any group, large or small to try curling. A staff member will be on-site to provide 15-minute guidance on the in and outs of curling for those who have never played before. You have the choice of 1 or 2-hour sessions so get some friends together and challenge them to a round of curling and test your precision and accuracy. We recommend booking ahead of time to be sure of availability especially during school holiday periods.

Please note the stones weigh 20 kg each and the target is approx. 40m away so young children may have difficulty getting the stones to the other end. This doesn’t mean they won’t love it as there are other aspects of curling they can get involved in.

Our Mission

Our mission is to create an ice sport culture within the Dunedin community, helping our member clubs grow and excel. To build an entertainment venue that has something for everyone, not limiting opportunities to a select few. Through Education, Experience, and Efficient operations we will invest heavily in youth programmes to develop the next generation of athletes and club members. We will do this while minimising our environmental footprint in all aspects of the business, from using the latest ice making technology to limiting single use packaging in our cafe.

Our Story

Year 1975
Dr Barrie Berkeley, a medical school lecturer who arrived from Canada in the early 70’s. calls a public meeting to gauge interest in the development of an ice rink in Dunedin. 30 people show up.
Year 1984
Dunedin’s first indoor ice rink opens in Kaikorai Valley aptly named ‘The Big Chill’. The big chill resides in a ‘dingy’ building with no air conditioning or changing rooms. The rink even has square corners.
Year 1994
The Big Chill is in financial difficulty and eight Curling Club members purchase the business and put it in the name of the Curling Club. The following years see a spike in interest as money and energy is put into the facility.
Year 2000
Low public session admissions and a deteriorating building result in the board deciding no further investment would be made to the business.
Year 2002
The Big Chill shuts its doors in October.
December sees the unification of the Dunedin Curling Club, the Dunedin Ice Hockey Association, and the Dunedin Ice Skating Club under the banner of Ice Sports Dunedin which became an Incorporated Society on the 9th December.
Year 2003
Planning starts on a new facility and a proposal from the Dunedin City Council for Ice Sports Dunedin Inc. (ISD) to occupy the old Dunedin Stadium in St Kilda is agreed. The Council refits the roof with insulated panels. ISD is responsible for the remainder of the fit-out. Fundraising is led by Neil Gamble, Edwin Harley, and Trevor Lewis and is achieved through grants from community trusts and the issuing of debentures to club members.
Year 2004
The doors to the Dunedin Ice Stadium officially open in October two years after the Big Chill shut. Dunedin now has a brand new 60m x 30m Olympic sized ice rink.
Year 2006
The four-lane curling rink is completed adjacent to the Olympic ice rink thanks to further funding from the Caversham Foundation.
Year 2008
The Dunedin Thunder join the New Zealand Ice Hockey League. Construction on the Mezzanine Floor (later renamed the Gamble Lounge) begins.
Year 2009
Dunedin hosts the International Ice Hockey Federation Division 3 World Champs and this is followed by the Senior World Curling Championships the following month. The New Zealand Winter Games sees the rink host hockey, figure skating, and speed skating events.
Year 2010
ISD is granted Charitable Status
Year 2013
The governance structure is changed to include representatives from the Dunedin City Council and Sport Otago to stabilise the business. This solidifies the value the facility brings to the City.
Year 2017
The rink pays off the last of its debts thanks to a grant from the Dunedin City Council and the Gamble Lounge finally receives building consent with the installation of the lift.
Year 2019
The Dunedin Ice Stadium has its most popular year with more people coming skating than ever before. The future looks bright for ice sports in the South.
Today
Our vision is to be a leading recreational facility and accessible family entertainment venue for the people and the premier Ice Sports facility in New Zealand.